The Path to Paperless

An iPad's Place in Your EMR System

Think it's a good fit? These pros and cons should be considered.

By Peter J. Polack, MD, FACS

There is a great deal of buzz about Apple's new iPad 2. It is certainly a well-designed, versatile device, especially for entertainment and with a multitude of programs available from its App Store. But can it also be a valuable tool for a physician? It seems so. In a recent survey, 22% of physicians who were queried said that they were already using iPads (or similar devices) in their medical practices and four out of five physcians who did not yet have such a device said they intended to acquire one.

iPads and EMR: A Good Fit?

So, many physicians naturally are also wondering whether the device can also be used as part of an EMR system. If you check out technology blogs, many experts seem to think so, but none of them are actually in the trenches of a real medical practice.

In our practice, we run our EMR system on thin-client devices—machines that look like computers but run the software “remotely” without actually using a hard drive. The doctors also have wireless tablet PCs, which were considered the latest technology a few years ago. Most of us don't use them, however, because they are not particularly fast, the screen resolution isn't so great, and they get heavy and warm towards the end of a clinic. So I started researching whether iPads could be used instead of tablet or regular computers. Below are a few pros and cons to consider.

iPad's Pros

1. Coolness factor. You know you would love to be able to tell your colleagues that you “run your EMR system wirelessly on iPads.”
2. Very intuitive. Easy to use for even a novice.
3. Wide variety of applications. Called “iPad apps,” there are tens of thousands of these, ranging from free to a couple of dollars in price, although the majority of these are for entertainment purposes.
4. Stable operating system. Nothing is crash-proof, but these things come close.
5. Long battery life. Up to 10 hours of use depending on the amount of wi-fi use.
6. Reasonably-priced. Assuming you don't go for the top-of-the-line model.

iPad's Cons

1. Not designed for medical use. It's a somewhat delicate device. It can't be cleaned or disinfected easily. Its touchscreen doesn't work with surgical gloves on and it doesn't have a stylus. Can you see yourself holding it in one hand and pecking with the other?
2. Doesn't fit in your lab coat or pocket.
3. Poor integration with IT infrastructure and network support. EMR software vendors would have to make allowances for iPads to integrate with their product, which would cost them dearly; and they have their resources committed to dealing with interoperability and certification issues.
4. Limited multi-tasking. At least in the current form.
5. Doesn't play well with some existing platforms. Apple doesn't like Flash so its devices cannot play animations from the Web or those used in many popular training and patient education programs.

So What's the Verdict?

Bottom line, if you are considering an iPad as part of your EMR system:

1. Make sure that your current or prospective EMR system is compatible with devices that run iOS (Apple's operating system for the iPhone and iPad).
2. Verify that the tablet device works on your wireless network.
3. Be sure to demo the device in a real practice environment before you decide to buy it.
4. Also consider the use of non-Apple OS devices such as Windows OS or Android OS. OM

Peter J. Polack, MD, FACS, is co-managing partner for Ocala Eye, a multisubspecialty ophthalmology practice located in Ocala, Fla. He is also founder of Emedikon, an online practice management resource for physicians and administrators.